Easter parades – not to be missed in Marbella

Easter in Spain is no laughing matter – after Christmas, it is this Catholic country’s most important festival, and due to its solemn history, is taken very seriously. Also in Marbella is a must for both the locals and the many tourists visiting the city at that time.

Preparations are made months in advance by the Cofrades or brotherhoods, religious associations with members sometimes numbering in the thousands. They are highly organised, with committees in place to ensure the smooth running of the processions that throng the streets during Holy Week.

These typical processions involve huge tronos, or thrones, being carried on the shoulders of members of the local costalero and present an impressive sight. Selected members of the costaleros sway in solemn procession under the weight of the trono, which can weigh anything from 2,000 – 5,000 kilogrammes. The parade sets off and arrives at various locations of religious significance in the Old Town of Marbella and is followed by brass bands with drums marking the solemn pace of the marchers, until Easter Sunday when the music becomes upbeat and triumphant.

The wooden thrones are works of art in themselves, with revered examples dating from the 16th and 17th centuries. Featuring intricate carvings of biblical scenes, it is considered an honour to help shoulder the burden in a procession that can last for hours in some of the larger cities.

Most memorably for those unaccustomed to such celebrations, the tronos are accompanied by Nazarenos, participants wearing long robes and tall conical hoods that conceal the face, said to represent penitents too ashamed by the crucifixion of Christ to show their faces.

The Easter celebrations this year take place from Sunday 25th March to Sunday 1st April, with the most solemn and dramatic processions taking place on Holy Thursday and Good Friday.

It would be hard to find a more characteristic celebration than Holy Week in Spain, and it is well worth heading to Marbella’s Old Town, itself a historical location, to see the spectacle.